Lemon cream cheese bread

Here’s a moist and tangy Lemon Cream Cheese Bread — soft, sweet, and full of bright lemon flavor 🍋🧀

Serves: 8–10
Time: ~1 hour (15 min prep + 45 min baking)

Ingredients

For the Bread:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
Zest of 2 lemons
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

4 oz (115 g) cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp lemon zest

For the Glaze (optional):

½ cup powdered sugar
1–2 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

1️⃣ Preheat Oven

Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).
Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan.

2️⃣ Make Cream Cheese Filling

In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, and lemon zest until smooth. Set aside.

3️⃣ Make Bread Batter

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla, sour cream, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
Gradually fold in dry ingredients until just combined.

4️⃣ Assemble

Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Spoon cream cheese filling evenly over the batter.
Top with remaining batter and smooth the top.

5️⃣ Bake

Bake 45–50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack.

6️⃣ Glaze (Optional)

Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice, drizzle over cooled bread for extra sweetness and tang.

Tips & Variations

Add poppy seeds or blueberries to the batter for a fruity twist.
For extra lemon flavor, sprinkle a little lemon zest on top before baking.
Store covered at room temperature for 2–3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.

If you want, I can also give a quick one-bowl lemon cream cheese bread recipe that’s moist and tangy but takes under 45 minutes from start to finish.

Lemon Cream Cheese Bread